Himanshu Sangwan removed Virat Kohli for just six runs on Friday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, ending his eagerly awaited return to the Ranji Trophy.
A ball before he was dismissed, Kohli displayed a flash of his genius with a stunning straight drive off Sangwan. But the very next delivery proved to be lethal; it was slanted in on a fullish length just outside off, and when Kohli tried to drive but failed to leave a space between bat and pad, the ball seamed in sharply. The bails flew as the delivery sped through, clipping the off-stump. In addition to taking the coveted wicket, Sangwan witnessed the stadium quickly fill up, making it a memorable experience.
Only 15 deliveries were made during Kohli’s brief stint at the crease, and he only managed one boundary. Delhi was at 87/3 after his removal, still 140 runs behind Railways.
It was a letdown for the thousands of spectators who had gathered at the stadium anticipating a masterclass from Kohli. However, there is a possibility for redemption–should Delhi secure a second innings, Kohli would have another opportunity to make his imprint.
On Day 1, there was a lot of enthusiasm and buzzing in the Delhi stadium, which is unusual for domestic cricket matches. Fans were waiting for their hero, whose recent performances have been largely disappointing, to take action. More security was put in place, and some more gates were opened to let supporters in. More than 15,000 spectators watched the game, according to ESPNCricinfo.
A fan also ran onto the pitch to greet Virat Kohli during the Group D match, breaking security. The individual escaped security, got to Kohli, and touched his feet when Railways were struggling at 21/3 thanks to Delhi’s opening bowlers, Navdeep Saini and Siddhant Sharma. The invader was swiftly taken from the pitch by security staff. Kohli asked them to be gentle with the fan and refrain from treating him harshly.